Industrial x-ray exposure chambers



Oct. 16, 1956 w. J. DALY INDUSTRIAL X-RAY EXPOSURE CHAMBERS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 15, 1954 INVENTOR llsier Jim/7 BY I I M 5;ATTORNEYS Oct. 1956 w. J. DALY 2,767,322

INDUSTRIAL. X-RAY EXPOSURE CHAMBERS Filed Feb. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2nun"- /2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent INDUSTRIAL X-RAYEXPOSURE CHAMBERS Webster J. Daly, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 15', 1954, Serial No. 410,196

4 Claims. (Cl. 250z2) This invention relates to X-ray chambersparticularly adapted for industrial use for the inspection of castingsor other things whose internal structure must be known.

Industrial use of X-ray for inspection of castings, etc. has becomequite prevalent. Devices commonly used have a single chamber with anX-ray tube fixed above it. The article to be inspected is moved into thechamber either manually or upon a carriage. A door is closed, and theexposure made. The door is opened, the article removed from the chamber,and another is put in. Frequently, in moving the article into thechamber it will be overturned and its identification lost, which meansthat another exposure must be made. The devices now in use areunsatisfactory because of the difliculty in getting the articles intoand out of the chambers, and in the amount of time required to makeinspections.

The object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray chamberhaving a plurality of exposure compartments with an X-ray tube movablefor registry with the respective compartments in sequence.

Another object is the provision of such a device having a compartmentclosure door which is movable with the X-ray tube to automatically closethe compartment with which the tube is in registry.

Still another object is to provide means in such a device to assureproper registry of the tube with the compartment and complete closure ofthe door for each exposure.

It is another object to provide an arrangement whereby a single X-raytube may be used with a plurality of chambers each having a plurality ofcompartments, with means to position the tube with any desired chamber.

Gther objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription of one practical embodiment thereof when taken inconjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, thisspecification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an X-ray chamber embodying theprinciples of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section through one of thecompartments of the chamber, and is taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the device taken on the line 33of Figure l; and,

Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention.

In general, the invention consists of a lead lined chamer divided intotwo or more compartments, with an X-ray tube carriage movable fromcompartment to compartment, and a compartment closure door movable withthe tube carriage.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the chamber 1 may be mounted uponany suitable base 2. The chamber is divided into a plurality of exposurecompartments, two compartments 3 and 4 being shown. The chamber isrectangular having a top 5, bottom 6, back wall 7 and end walls 8 and 9.The front is open. A vertical central partition 10 divides the chamberin two compartments.

2,767,322 Patented Oct. 16, 1956 The top, bottom, back and end walls aresimilarly constructed, each being formed of an outside steel sheet 11,an intermediate plywood layer 12, and an inside lead lining 13. Thecentral partition has a plywood layer 14 sandwiched between lead sheets15.

Extending longitudinally of the top there is a pair of rails 16, spacedapart transversely on opposite sides of the center of the top. The railsare fixed to the top, and a carriage 17 is mounted on them formovement-from one end of the chamber. to the'other. Carriage 17 issubstantialiy one half the length of the chamber, or approximately thelength of one of the exposure compartments. The carriage carries aplurality of rollers 18 to ride upon the rails and support the carriage;The carriage is centrally apertured, as at 19, and an X-ray tube 20ismounted on the carriage to project its rays throughthe aperture.

Carriage 17 is caused to move across the top of the chamber by means ofa reversible motor 21 and a chain 22. Chain 22 is connected to thecarriage, and passes over sprockets 23 and 24, sprocket 23 being mountedupon a suitable bracket 25. fixed to the top of the chamber and sprocket24 being mounted on the motor shaft. Operation of the motor will rotatethe chain and move the carriage.

Rigidly fixed to thecarriage, or formed as an integral part. thereof, isan exposure compartment closure door 26. Door 26 moves with the carriageand closes first one exposure compartment and then the other. The X-raytube will always be above the. closed compartment. The door, also has asteel outside casing 27, plywood layer 28, and lead liner 29. The doorhangs closely adjacent the front of the chamber, and is provided with arearwardly extending bottom flange 30 to overlap the bottom wall or thechamber. A top flange 31 connects the door to the carriage and overlapsthe top edge of the chamber. Seals are also provided at the sides sothat no radiation can escape the exposure chamber in use to harm theoperator. To seal the sides, the door is provided with inwardlyprojecting side flanges 32 and 33. These side flanges cooperate withvertical recesses in the end and partition walls to create the seal. Theend Walls have the recesses 34 and 35 extending along their inner frontedges, and the center partition has the recesses 36 and 37 on eitherside at the front. When the door is in front of the exposure compartment3, the side flange 32 will fit into, and seal against, the recess 34,and the side flange 33 will seal against the wall of the recess 37 ofthe central partition. When the door moves to the right to cover theexposure chamber 4, the flange 33 will move into the recess 35 andflange 32 will move into recess 36 of the central partition.

As the carriage and door move, the X-ray tube is moved over first oneexposure chamber and then the other. The exposure chambers are providedwith apertures 38 and 39 in the centers of their tops. It is importantthat the aperture 19 in the carriage be in proper registry with eitherthe aperture 38 or 39 for proper exposures. To ensure proper registry,limit switches 40 and 41 are mounted upon the top of the chamberadjacent the chain 22. The switches may be connected in the operatingcircuit in any conventional manner. The chain will carry buttons 42 and43 to contact the switches to break the motor circuit when the carriagereaches the proper position.

It will be evident that one of the exposure compartments may beconveniently loaded from the front while an exposure is being made inthe other. When the motor circuit is closed, the carriage carrying theX-ray tube and the door will move to the opposite end of the chamber toclose the exposure compartment just loaded and place the X-ray tubeabove the aperture in that compartment so that an exposure may be made.At the same time the first compartment may be unloaded and reloaded. Re-

i r 2,767,322 a s 4 starting the motor after the exposure will move thecarerating means on said door and the front edges of said riage and doorto the first exposure chamber. compartments to seal said compartments.

7 Thestructure shown in Figure 4. is only slightly difier: 3. In anX-ray chamber as claimed in claim 1, cooperent from that just described.The major difference is ating means on said door and the front edges ofsaid chamber 44 is curved from end to end, the curve being 6 compartmentto seal said compartments, and means rean arc of a circle. One or moreof these chambers is sponsive to movement of said carriage to stopcarriage positioned about the center of the arc, and an X-ray tubemovement when the aperture in said carriage is in verti- 45 is mountedon a boom 46 pivoted to swing about a cal alignment with the aperture inone of said compartpedestal 47 positioned at the center of the arc. Inthis ments. form, the X-ray tube is not permanently fixed to the car- 104. An X-ray chamber comprising, a row of joined lead riage 48, but maybe attached by any convenient means lined exposure compartments, eachcompartment having when desired. After the tube is attached to thecarriage, an aperture in its top and an open front, rails mounted theoperation is as previously described. Due to the fact upon the top ofthe chamber extending along the row of that the'carriage moves on anarc, the chain 49 is posicompartments, a carriage mounted for movementon said tionedinahorizontalplane ratherthan vertical. l an aperture insaid carriage, means to move the While in the above practicalembodiments of the invencarriage from compartment to compartment tosequention have been disclosed, it will be understood that the tiallyposition the aperture in said carriage in vertical details of structureshown and described are merely for alignment with the apertures in therespective compartpurposes of illustration and may be changed within thements, a door mounted on said carriage and movable scope of the appendedclaims. therewith to close the front of the compartment over What isclaimed is: which said carriage is positioned, said chamber and rails 1-An X-ray chamber comprising, a row of joined being arcuate in ahorizontal plane, a pedestal positioned lead-lined exposurecompartments, each COHlpartment at the center from which the arcs of thechamber and having an aperture in its top and an open front, rails railsare struck, a horizontal boom pivoted on said pedest mounted upon thetop of the chamber extending along the and all y tube Cam-ed y Said boomand 001!- row of compartments, a carriage mounted for movement ec 10said carriage" on said rails, an aperture in said carriage, an X-raytube mounted upon said carriage directly above said aperture ReferencesCited in the file of this Patent in the carriage, means to'move thecarriage from com- UNITED STATES PATENTS partment to compartment tosequentially position the aperture in said carriage in vertical alignmnt With the 23:?2; 2353 lI i 3 i333 apertures in the respectivecompartments, and a door 1967980 T It J 19 4 mounted on said carriageand movable therewith to close a y u y 3 the front of the compartmentover'which said carriage is 2212330 Thomas 1940 Positioned 2,526,390Moran et a1. 2 Oct. 17, 1950 2,677,517 Castello May 4, 1954 2. In anX-ray chamber as claimed in claim 1, coop-

